REFLECT
Operationalizing and Prioritizing Leader Development Programs
By Derek Prario Particularly in the time of preparation, modernization, and ‘culture reset’ that we find ourselves in, an effective military leader must develop others for future battles. The mandate to ‘develop leaders’ is essential and commonly...
The Army’s Purpose is NOT to “Deploy, Fight, and Win Our Nation’s Wars”
By Ben Ordiway I hope our wisdom will grow with our power and teach us that the less we use our power, the greater it will be. –Thomas Jefferson What is the Army’s purpose? The answer depends on where you look. Doctrine enthusiasts will point...
Good Leaders Ask Better Questions
by Ryan Cornell-d’Echert “Once you have learned how to ask questions – relevant and appropriate and substantial questions – you have learned how to learn, and no one can keep you from learning whatever you want or need to know.” -Neil Postman and...
Mission and Motherhood: Tools for Leading Pregnant and Postpartum Soldiers
By Katie Walter I was terrified when I discovered I was pregnant as a young Second Lieutenant in the Armor branch. Among the other stressors of pregnancy and raising a child, I was nervous my Squadron’s leaders might view me negatively for being...
What Junior Leaders Need to Understand About Their Field Grade Boss
By Quentin O’Neal Major Dave Leydet and Major Ryan Stephenson recently penned a phenomenal article detailing the importance of the relationship between a unit’s Executive Officer (XO) and its Operations Officer (S3). It also expounds upon those two...
Does Your Organization Need a Command Sergeant Major?
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on LinkedIn for a corporate audience. Listen to Joe’s interview with Juliet here. And keep your eyes open for Juliet’s return to the podcast! by Juliet Funt I have no military family, nor do I...
4 Reading Recs For Holistic Self-Development
by Jack Hadley Military professionals’ reading for self-development tends to fall into two general categories. First, well, military professional reading. This genre is flexible, but generally includes things like A Message to Garcia (and other...
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome: One Foot In Front Of The Other
by James Duncan July 1st, 2013. I only remember bits and pieces of it, but make no mistake about it – I was there. You have only to look at the picture of an incredibly nervous, skinny kid sitting in a bus, waiting. For all I knew, I was about to...
How to Lead Where Excellence is Already the Norm
By Terry Lee and Chevy Cook It’s no surprise that elite performers and high achievers tend to produce at a higher level, have outsized impact on their organizations, and are rewarded with selection, promotion, and more leadership...
240 Seconds to Save Your Own Life
by Dustin Diefenderfer It was the day after Christmas in 2004 when a 9.1 magnitude earthquake hit the Indian Ocean, triggering massive 100 foot tall waves that would later became known as “The Boxing Day Tsunamis.” The tsunamis took the lives of...
Are You an Electable Leader?
By Sam Redding If your unit voted, would you be the leader? Given the recent election, I have been thinking about this a lot lately. What if organizations could vote to decide who is in charge? Let me preface this by saying, this post is not a call...
Take your Leadership to the End Zone
By David Lang Although coaches are commonly seen as leaders, not all leaders feel the need to be coaches. However, as we face the leadership challenges of the 21st Century, that perception is changing. In fact, on the international stage, acclaimed...
No Plays Off: It’s a Mindset
By George Fust Stop for a moment and think about the best athletes in your favorite sport. What attributes make them stand out? Persistence? Grit? Coaches can often be heard reminding players to “never take a play off.” These standout players...
Are You Consumed by Your Ego?
By Joe Byerly Within each of us is a voice. It’s size and influence varies between individuals and our environment, and our values shape its contours. This voice is our ego. In his book, Ego is the Enemy Ryan Holiday observes that ego is, “an...
The ‘Leader-Ships’ – Navigating Rough Waters
By Mike Karlson As the Army addresses and implements the findings of the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee, the conversation across our formations is centered on leadership. What went wrong? What kind of leadership is required to protect our...
Coach Wooden’s Advice for 2021
By Joe Byerly When Coach John Wooden arrived at UCLA in 1948, the athletic department promised him they would eventually get him a nice gym. But until then, he had to share a poorly lit, unventilated facility with the wrestling team, the...
Kettlebells Are Useless on the Moon
By Joe Byerly “Kettlebells are useless on the moon” I recently heard this phrase mentioned by Aubrey Marcus on his AMP podcast. I can’t remember the exact context, but it had to do with the fact that the moon has very little gravity so the...
Toxic Leadership: Learn from My Mistakes
By Danita Darby In February 2019, I lost my company. I was suspended because I was suspected of counterproductive leadership, also commonly referred to as ‘toxic leadership.’ Leaders accused of counterproductive leadership may display...
Don’t Become Apathetic Toward Empathy
By Larry Kay A few weeks ago, a friend of mine posted the following on Twitter: “Leading with empathy” – explain please…”[1] Since then, I have observed numerous discussions about empathy. To be honest, empathy is not a strength of mine, which is...
Don’t be a Half-Baked Leader
By CW3 Mike Philbert Imagine a time when you went to someone’s cookout out event and they had some great smelling BBQ chicken sizzling on the grill. They heavily coat the meat so everything has a nice brown color as the high flames quickly...
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The Hidden Benefit of the Army’s New Commander Assessment Program
By Joe Byerly Last week I traveled to Fort Knox to attend the Battalion Commander Assessment Program (BCAP). Initially, I thought of BCAP as merely an assessment of my leadership preparedness for battalion command. And while that is certainly the...
Make Your LPDs Worth Your Leaders’ Time.
By: CSM Mike Burke and CSM Marcus Brister “Next week, we will have an LPD on NCOERs…” said the command sergeant major, receiving a combination of eye rolls and long exhales during the training meeting. True to form, the following week, an...
Call For Posts: What Broadening Opportunities are Available to me?
By Connor Collins We are excited to announce that we’re launching a NEW series called #BroadenMe. We’re seeking submissions for informative 1000-1600 word posts highlighting the various broadening opportunities and considerations an officer should...
How to Drain the Energy out of Organizations
By Joe Byerly Have you ever picked up your IPhone and noticed that the battery was almost dead even though you charged it all night? The most likely culprits for draining the life out of your phone are the applications operating in the background....
It’s Time to Update the Military Decision-Making Process
By Larry Kay Processes must adjust to the environment in which they will be utilized otherwise they risk providing solutions to yesterday’s problems. The military decision-making process (MDMP) has not been updated to reflect the contemporary...
We Need to Talk About the Burden of Command
By Jack Curtis I’ve held an incredible job for the past 15 months. Serving as the commanding officer of the finest jet squadron in the Navy has been nothing short of an absolute privilege. But, in a few days (and on schedule) I’ll relinquish...
Learning to Lead with Love
By Jason Reynado Let me make a bold proposition to you on the subject of leadership – I propose that love and leadership go hand in hand. A few months ago, the 2d Cavalry Regiment (2CR) had its Semi-Annual Training Brief (SATB) with 7th Army...
How to Know if Your Presence Matters
By Sean Finnan Several years ago, I came across this quote: “If your absence doesn’t affect them, your presence never mattered.” As I was nearing the end of my O-5 command, I began to reflect on what I was leaving behind. Would my absence affect...
We Need to Bridge the Gap Between the COIN Generation and the Next Generation
By Scott Kelly I commissioned in 2012, joining an Army in which my leaders had been engaged in counterinsurgency (COIN) fights in Iraq and Afghanistan for nearly a decade. As I left training and entered the operational force, I was hit with the...
LTG Rainey Discusses A Practical Approach to Developing Leaders
At the recent Army Virtual Maneuver Warfighting Conference, LTG Rainey the Commander of US Army Combined Arms Center, Fort Leavenworth gave a short 20 minute talk on how to develop leaders. He says that leaders need to have a goal for their...
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